DARPA Study Uses Video Game to Research tDCS, Finds More Amps Mean More Frags

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has historically been investigated as a treatment for mental diseases such as depression and rehab therapy for victims of brain injuries and impairments. Recently, though, researchers have been studying whether a little bolt of electricity to the brain can actually aid in learning. The latest study, a joint effort between the University of New Mexico and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), involves playing a military shooter game, designed to teach soldiers to react properly in stressful conditions by successfully gunning down enemies instead of allies.
Using a simple system consisting of electrodes, wires, wet sponges, and electricity delivered by standard 9-volt batteries, test subjects received either two milliamps or one-tenth milliamp jolts to the scalp. Subjects who received the two milliamp current were shown to increase performance twice as much as the subjects who received one-tenth of a milliamp.
While the results are shocking (pardon the pun), tDCS is not without its concerns. Researchers are still not completely sure about the science of tDCS, and whether or not even small amounts of current can have detrimental effects. Moreover, if tDCS does indeed prove to be safe and effective, it could raise ethical concerns, as “electrodoping” could give students an unfair advantage on exams. Discussions are apparently already circulating around the internet for creating homemade, but potentially dangerous tDCS devices.
Until then, gamers and students alike should stick to a safe and time-tested method of gaining success: practice!Article in Nature:Neuroscience: Brain buzz…Abstract:TDCS guided using fMRI significantly accelerates learning to identify concealed objects…Previously on Medgadget:Australian Researchers Create “Thinking Cap”, Scheme to Breed Army of Nobel Laureates and Mad Scientists…

Scott Jung (@scottjung) is a Silicon Valley-based medical and health technology journalist and advocate. He has been a guest contributor to Intel’s iQ e-magazine and Rock Health’s corporate blog and has provided live, on-site coverage of the International CES and Digital Health Summit, TEDMED, and Stanford Medicine X conference for Medgadget. Most recently, he has been appearing on TWiT.tv’s The New Screen Savers as a semi-regular medical and health technology correspondent.
Scott holds a B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Southern California.
Scott is always looking for the next big thing in medical technology and digital health. Interested in helping him transform lives? Get in touch with him at http://scottjung.net